Caroline Lucas MEP, the leader of the Green Party, has expressed serious concerns about the handling of the climate change demonstrators in Copenhagen.
She said today: "How can a procession which had a carnival atmosphere warrant these kind of high-handed tactics?"
For the third day running the police had used the 'kettling' technique, and we saw earlier this year how kettling led to the death of a member of the public, said the Green Party's leader.
There have been widespread reports of large numbers of demonstrators being held in handcuffs for five hours, while others were kept in cages. They were denied access to toilets (1).
The Greens said they backed calls by human rights groups such as Amnesty International for an inquiry into the police handling of the demonstration.
Note:
1. See, eg:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/13/copenhagen-protesters-freed
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/13/copenhagen-protests-police-tactics
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/13/hundreds-arrested-in-copenhagen-violence